Gostkowski thought he'd make big leagues as a pitcher, but Patriots likely glad he did not

CHANDLER, Ariz. – Stephen Gostkowski went to the University of Memphis with thoughts of pursuing a life in professional sports.

But Gostkowski, the Patriots' kicker for the past nine seasons, saw himself pitching off a major league mound. It was a baseball scholarship that drew him from his Mississippi high school to Memphis, and he spent four years pitching for the Tigers.

Along the way, there was an arm injury and the realization that he didn't quite have enough talent to pitch at the next level.

So kicking became his road to a life in athletics. He developed into one of the best kickers in the country before the Patriots selected him in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL draft.

His job was to replace a legend. Adam Vinatieri, a future Hall of Famer, left as a free agent and Gostkowski was charged with filling those enormous kicking shoes.

CHANDLER, Ariz. — Brandon Browner has a Legion of Boom tattoo on his arm. He calls it a tribute to his brothers. At the same time, the Patriots cornerback has no problem encouraging his teammates to break Richard Sherman's arm and Earl Thomas' shoulder in the Super Bowl.

"Last year, one of my buddies...

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Nearly a decade later, he has done more than OK. Gostkowski, who will be kicking in his third Super Bowl on Sunday, is a three-time Pro Bowl selection and New England's all-time leading scorer (1,179 points). He led the NFL with 156 points this season and has led three years in a row.

This year he converted 35 of 37 field goals (94.6 percent), setting a team record for field goal percentage. For his career, he has converted 86.8 percent of his field goals.

That ability to focus was honed by his first love in sports. Gostkowski grew up pitching and believes the unique mental demands of standing on a mound alone prepared him for the unique job of kicking.

The Courant's Paul Doyle is in Arizona this week covering the Patriots, Seahawks and everything Super Bowl XLIX. Follow along through each day's activities leading up to the game as he sets the scene from Phoenix.

Patriots Take To Practice Field

CHANDLER, Ariz. – The Patriots begin their final stretch...

The Courant's Paul Doyle is in Arizona this week covering the Patriots, Seahawks and everything Super Bowl XLIX. Follow along through each day's activities leading up to the game as he sets the scene from Phoenix.

Patriots Take To Practice Field

CHANDLER, Ariz. – The Patriots begin their final stretch...

(PAUL DOYLE)

"If you have a bad game in pitching, you don't get to just wake up the next day, pick up the bat and try to hit a home run," Gostkowski said. "You've got to wait a whole week to pitch again. In football, I may miss a kick in the first quarter and not get another chance to make a kick, and then I've got to think about that the whole next week. Dealing with situations like, say, a full count, bases loaded and you have to throw a strike. That could be comparable to making a kick to win the game at the end of a game."

Gostkowski said he grew up as a "sportsman," playing baseball, football, soccer, tennis and golf. He learned about the mental side of sports in each of those endeavors, but pitching – the position he loved – had the biggest impact.

"You have the position players in baseball, and you have the offense and defense in football," Gostkowski said. "Then you have the pitchers and the specialists. They are very important positions and they can play a very important role in the game, but the day-to-day grind that they go through isn't the same. The thing with pitching is you only get a few opportunities maybe once a week and you got to make the most out of that opportunity. It's the same thing in football. When you're kicking field goals you might only get one, two, three field goals in a game, and you have to make sure that you're ready to make the most of those opportunities."

How good was Gostkowski? Statistically, he struggled at Memphis. He was 4-5, 4.02 ERA as a freshman before his numbers plummeted – 1-5, 6.61 as sophomore, 1-8, 7.33 as a junior, and 1-4, 6.00 as a senior.

Overall, he was 7-22, 6.04 in 55 games.

"There was a time when I thought [about the major leagues]," Gostkowski said. "But I ran into a little arm trouble in college. I still started all four years, but it just became pretty apparent my junior year of college that I was going to have a better chance at football. I mean, if I would have played baseball year-round and quit everything else, I think I would have had a shot."

A scouting report, courtesy of Gostkowski: "I threw 90 to 92 [mph] and topped out at 94. I had a good fastball, good changeup, and below-average curveball, which I think was my problem. I threw a lot of strikes, I just didn't have that 'out' pitch. That was my biggest flaw."

Bill Belichick and the Patriots must be thankful that Gostkowski never developed that out pitch. He has become a fixture and has somehow been statistically better than Vinatieri, who is remembered for game-winning postseason kicks.

In 10 seasons with the Patriots, Vinatieri converted 81.9 percent of his field goals and had 1,158 points. In nine seasons, Gostkowski has an 86.8 field goal percentage and 1,179 points.

"It's cool," Gostkowski said. "I have been put in a good situation, on a heck of a team with a great offense. I've been able to take advantage of my opportunities. I've been at the right place at the right time. Kicking field goals, you're only as good as the opportunities you're given. I try to take advantage of every one that I'm given. Thanks, Tom Brady, I guess."